Forgotten Souls
by owlhero
Summary: Zack and Cody have endured tragedy in their lives but they feel empty and are full of endless questions. Chapter 4 of the lovely anomaly's Suite Dreams Collection. Please read the rest of the collection.


**Forgotten Souls**

By Owlhero

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life Series. I like to thank Darkelements10 for betaing this for me.**

The gray stone was cold and unaffected by the human touch. It did not care why the humans were there. It was meant to do a job and would do so until the words written on its face eroded from the elements.

The gray sky and the sun behind it did not care about the human presence below it. They were trying to cover the ground below with rain and sun as they had done since the dawn of time. As far as they were concerned the human existence was inconsequential for their jobs and ignored them.

The human beings in this case walked in the sea of stones toward two simple stones standing up out of the ground. The names etched on them still clear as the day they were pounded into them.

_Carey Marie Martin._

_1971-1998_

_When she had passed, it seemed like the ceasing of exquisite music_

_Kurt Andrew Martin _

_1971-1998_

_Here lays a man rocking in the afterlife._

The leafless trees and the wet grass had seen these two humans before on multiple occasions. The first time occurred when two rectangular objects were lowered into the ground and covered with earth. They all wondered why they kept coming back and the significance of the two bodies buried in front of the gray stones.

The two blond haired humans lost themselves in the shadows of the larger monuments and stared unbelievably at the two headstones in front of them, not believing it could happen to them. But it did.

Their heads were huddled in their black jackets and the ties were tightened around their little necks. The wind beckoned them to leave this horrid place full of painful memories.

_I wonder what it means to die._

_Are mom and dad happy, sad, scared or angry at us? Is this punishment for what we did? Do they remember us? Do they still love us?_

The multitude of question spiraled around Zack's terrified mind as he wondered and stared at the heartless letters in the tombstone for an unconceivable amount of time. He remembered his father's guitar strumming and his strong but gentle arms and his mother's musical harmonies as she tried but failed to make a meal and sing them to sleep at night. The memories dissipated like dust in the wind, ash coating his mouth as he remembered them.

It seemed too unreal for Zack to realize how they could be smiling and surrounded by love one second and be empty and sad the next. He wondered where they were at now.

_Are mommy and daddy gone or are they at someplace better than this? _

The thought made him want to cry but he had to stay strong for Cody realizing they were all each other had now.

_How could any place be better than with us_? A surge of anger, grief and confusion arose out of his mind ready to strike but… another thought fought it off instead.

_Cody needs me. He does not deserve to be hurt by me. He is hurting worse than I am. I must be strong for him._

He looked at his twin from the corner of his eye and saw a shell of what he was. He knew Cody needed him and would be there for him through anything.

_Why did they have to die? Why did it have to be them? Why couldn't it have been someone else?_

Cody felt a heaviness enter his heart as the last thought melted from his brain. There was a word for this feeling.

Shame.

He felt miserable for wishing this on anyone, but no else had just lost both their parents within the last month. Two deaths left two boys with nothing but darkened skies, destitute hopes and sapped spirits to draw from. Rain started to fall to emphasize the depressing state the world was drawing from them.

The cold water ran down Cody's small face but the sensation did reach past the empty mask he put up after the tragedy crashed upon him. He remembered the funeral service where people told the audience their memories of his parents. He doubted anyone knew their parents really well because they had just moved there six months before. They knew them as co-workers. Not as a loving mother or father and the cornerstones of two young lives.

The memories of his parents poisoned his veins as they surged through them. He remembered being read stories before bed, the happy memories of opening presents on Christmas surrounded by wrapping paper and new toys. The rain masked the few tears as they rolled down his freezing cheeks.

He looked over at Zack.

_My older brother. He's acts so strong but I know he's hurting inside. He needs me._

Cody grabbed his twin's hand and clutched it tight. Zack's eyes turned and connected with Cody's. Anguish radiated out of both of them, but their connection kept them sane for the time. The two lost souls glided their way out of the cemetery while the trees waved goodbye to the little humans with wretched spirits and endless questions while pouring rain battered their organic carcasses.

The twins lay in bed, curled up next to each other, their minds reflecting on old wounds. Each other's warmth barely reaching the consciousness of the other, but knowing it was there, gave them some comfort. Cody slept with Zack's arms around his stomach and his twin's head next to his on the pillow as they knew they would be suffering through another disturbed night of sleep.

This night would be the same except for a minor but not so trivial detail.

The first thing Cody realized was that he was not in his pajamas. No, he was wearing normal clothes.

"But that's not right. I was wearing pajamas to bed." His voice was creaky from lack of use.

"Hey Cody?" Zack's voice reached out to his heart and he turned around to see Zack in matching jeans, shirt and sneakers.

"You too?" Cody said to him and Zack nodded.

"Do you know what's going? I thought we were asleep in bed?" Zack's voice was unsure, curious and a little nervous, but he was trying to hide it. Unfortunately Cody saw right through it.

Cody shrugged his shoulders and a voice called out to him. A voice he thought he would hear only in his dreams again.

"Hello sweetie."

Both twisted to see their mother in her favorite long sleeve shirt and pants. Standing next to her was their father in his trademark black leather jacket, shirt and jeans.

The twins stood frozen for a second, stunned to see their late parents in front of them standing by the favorite park near their old house. Bright lights shined down on the park making appear like it was midday but it was almost eight o'clock at night.

"Mom! Dad!" The twins ran as fast as their little legs could carry them and ran into the loving comforting arms of the parents, crying all the way there.

"You are alive. I can't believe it" Zack cried through sobs as he was held by Kurt.

Kurt looked at Carey with a sad smile and look at his slightly older son.

"No, Zack. We are not alive. We are dead. This is just a dream you are having."

Cody cries out in shock "How? Mom, you are wearing your favorite shirt and Dad's wearing his jacket."

He followed his mother and father as the group walked into the park past their favorite swings. Memories of asking to be pushed, laughing while swinging and air rushing through their hair emerged from the minds. The group sat down at one of the three picnic table in the small park.

Carey looked at her son with loving sorrowful eyes. "Cody, your father's right. We are dead. We appeared in this form to make you feel as comfortable as possible. We figured wearing wings and all that stuff would scare and confuse you." Carey's voice ended with a gentle tone.

Cody nodded demoralized at the realization that his parents were truly gone and never coming back and started bawling his eyes out.

Carey held Cody as he cried and tried to soothe him even though there was no good way to do it now that she was gone from his physical world.

"Why can't you come back? We need you. We can't go on without you." Zack's voice shaking as the words came out.

"Things don't work that way. If we were allowed to come back, we would without hesitation. But once you die, you die. Even so, we still love you both without limits." Kurt's voice reached Zack through his sorrow and the boy nodded.

"Is this our fault?" Zack asked his parents nervously and the two realized where this was going instantly.

"It was never your fault. There are things, events that happen when we are alive that we do not understand the reasons behind it" Kurt said. "Death is one of them. Our deaths are not the result anything you did. Sometimes things happen because they just do. They are nobody's fault."

Cody thought for a second then remembered the question running through his head earlier about death.

"What is it like to die?"

His parents smiled as they looked at him and recognized the thirst for knowledge he processed and tried to get him to understand.

"You remember the story Peter Pan. Do you remember what he said about death?" Carey asked Cody, who nodded.

"Death is just the next big adventure; something no one alive has faced yet." Cody responded, his confidence overriding his emotions at the situation.

Carey smiled proudly at her son. "That's right. It is simply the end of life as we were and what you are now. It is something not to be afraid of. We are not in any pain at all. We miss you terribly but we will always love you no matter where you are. Wherever you are, a part of us will be inside your hearts to guide you in the toughest of times if you willing to listen to it."

Kurt added to both of his sons, "I understand why you are upset and maybe a little angry at us for leaving you in such a situation. We had no intention of leaving in such a position but it was not up to us. You have every right to be upset with us for a time but eventually you need to move on."

"How can we move on without you?"Both twin spat quickly with 5 year old gusto.

Carey and Kurt looked at each other and nodded.

"We realize it would not be easy, however, you must realize that if you stay sad forever about our deaths, you will be missing out on living." Kurt stated to his offspring.

"I can tell you one thing. I will be disappointed in you if you are sad your whole lives over us" Carey with a gentle but firm motherly tone. Both responded with a quiet okay.

Both adults looked at each other and realized time was short.

"Boys, we don't have much time. We have to leave shortly. Just remember we will never forget you no matter what."

Both boys sobbed and grabbed onto the parents with death grips as they tried to remember their mom's perfume or the smell of their dad's leather jacket. Too soon both felt being pulled away from them and struggled to stay but it was useless. The warmth and love of their parents fading away as they pulled away from the dream state they were in.

Zack and Cody woke still close together. They both looked at each other and tears were still falling down their cheeks.

"Do you remember the dream we just had?" Zack asked his twin.

"Yeah, it had Mom and Dad in it in their favorite clothes" Cody answered with certainty.

"Do you think what they said was true" Zack posed to his brother.

"I'm not sure but I hope so." Cody answered.

As if on cue, the sunrise broke through the clouds and bathed the twin's room with warm sunlight. Their hearts and the faces felt warmth not from the sun but from something else entirely. They looked at each other and realized that life was not over. Even though it would not be easy and the pain would still be with them throughout their lives, they knew they would not be forgotten and they could get through it together. The boys wiped their tears from their faces and tackled life with a renewed sense of optimism.

**Not exactly my best work but please read and review. Any comments positive or negative are welcome.**

**I don't mean to shove religion down people's throat but this is the idea that came to me. As for the abstractness and the collection, I took it as a writing challenge for myself to do something different.**


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